Summary

Discovering the Humanitieshelps students see context and make connections across the humanities by tying together the entire cultural experience through a narrative storytelling approach. Pearson Prentice Hall is proud to offerDiscovering the Humanities-the new brief version ofTheHumanities: Culture, Continuity, and Changeadapted by author Henry Sayre himself.Discovering the Humanitiescontinues to help students see the big picture and make important connections through Henry Sayrers"s captivating narrative that has made the comprehensive text successful at schools across the nation. Henry Sayre took the introduction to the humanities course as a sophomore and was inspired to devote his life to the study of the humanities. He has always wanted to write a book that passes along the important and compelling stories of the humanities. Henry believes that students learn best by remembering stories, not by memorizing facts. What makesDiscovering the Humanitiesspecial is that it tells the stories and captures the voices that have shaped and influenced human thinking and creativity.

Table of Contents

Preface

The Prehistoric Past and the River Cultures of the Ancient World

The Beginnings of Culture

Agency and Ritual: Cave Art

Paleolithic Culture and Its Artifacts

The Rise of Agriculture Neolithic Pottery

The Neolithic Megaliths of Northern Europe

Neolithic Cultures of the Americas

The Anasazi and the Role of Myth

Reading

Talk Concerning the First Beginning

Mesopotamia: Power and Social Order in the Fertile Crescent Sumerian

Reading

from the Law Code of Hammurabi (ca. 1792-1750 BCE)

Mesopotamian Literature and the Epic of Gilgamesh

Reading

from the Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet VI (ca. 1200 BCE)

The Hebrews

Reading

from the Hebrew Bible (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

The Stability of Ancient Egypt: Flood and Sun

The Nile and Its Culture

Focus

Reading the Palette of Narmer

The Old Kingdom

The New Kingdom and Its Moment of Change

The Early Civilizations of China and India

Reading

from the Book of Songs

Reading

from the Dao de jing Ancient India

Reading

from ldquo;The Second Teachingrdquo; in the Bhagavad Gita: Krishnarsquo;s Counsel in Time of War